Arsenal transfer news: Gunners set June date to make first Declan Rice bid

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Arsenal have reportedly earmarked June as the month when they will make their first bid for Declan Rice, with the West Ham skipper the Gunners’ main midfield target for the summer.

According to journalist Dean Jones, Arsenal will look to make a bid early in the upcoming transfer window as Mikel Arteta aims to add to his central midfield ranks, with Rice now clearly the player the north London side want above anyone else in the post-season.

Jones said on Arsenal’s opening bid: “They won’t let go of this without making a strong attempt at getting Declan Rice. It’s not yet clear when they’ll look to make their opening offer, but I would imagine it’s going to be around June time that they’ll look to make their first moves with this transfer, just so they understand exactly where they stand.”

With TeamTalk recently reporting that Arsenal could have to pay as much as £100m to sign Rice, the Gunners could be early-spenders in the summer market if they meet West Ham on their demands for their club captain, though the investment could be worth it.

Indeed, Rice ticks a lot of boxes for what Arsenal need in a midfield signing this summer, and whilst a bid of £100m would be extraordinary, few fans would say it will be a waste of money, with the 24-year-old the perfect long-term replacement for Thomas Partey or Granit Xhaka.

And with Arsenal now reportedly set to make an offer for Rice in as early a period as June, there’s a good chance that the Gunners are planning to get their summer business done early this year, a welcome sign for many supporters ahead of the window.

Arsenal bid for Declan Rice must come soon rather than later

Arsenal were one of the few clubs last summer that got the majority of their business done early, with Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira all coming in before their pre-season tour had even begun with Oleksandr Zinchenko joining whilst the team were out in Florida. And a similar approach with Rice will be huge.

It’s clear that Arteta getting transfers done early and giving new players as much as time as possible to adapt has had a huge impact on how the Gunners have performed this season, and repeating this success with Rice could be huge in another big year for the north London side.